The Laughing Cow
A French processed-cheese brand recognized internationally for its smiling cow emblem, red circular packaging, and individually portioned cheese products. A processed cheese brand known for its smiling cow emblem, marketed as “A Vaca que ri” in Portugal and under localized names elsewhere. Cheese brand sold in Spain, related to The Laughing Cow.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
The Laughing Cow, known in France and many other markets as La Vache qui rit, is an international processed-cheese brand made by Fromageries Bel, part of the Bel Group. Its best-known product is a spreadable cheese portion packaged in individually wrapped foil wedges and arranged inside a flat, round box. The brand is distinguished by its red-and-white smiling cow mascot, whose ear tags reproduce the round cheese box in a visual recursive design. The brand was established in France in 1921 when Léon Bel registered the La Vache Qui Rit trademark. Its visual identity developed from a wartime mascot drawing created by illustrator Benjamin Rabier for Bel's supply-train unit during the First World War. The original character, called La Wachkyrie as a wordplay on Valkyrie, was subsequently adapted into the red-and-white cow associated with the cheese. The branding evolved over time: blue-and-white striping appeared around the box in 1955, and the two ear-tag boxes were depicted with their top sides visible from 1976 onward. The cheese is made by blending cream, milk, and fresh and aged cheeses, including comté, followed by pasteurization. This processing gives the product a smooth, spreadable texture and helps extend its keeping qualities compared with many unprocessed cheeses. The core product is sold in original, light, ultra-light, and flavored varieties, although exact offerings differ by market. Flavors documented across different countries include garlic, ham, gruyère, paprika, mushroom, chèvre, blue cheese, hazelnut, pizza, jalapeño, and onion. The portfolio has expanded beyond the classic wedge. Depending on the market, products include tubs and jars of spreadable cheese, slices, harder slicing blocks, children's cheese pods, snack kits pairing cheese with breadsticks, and bite-sized cubes intended for aperitifs or entertaining. Local names for these extensions include Dip & Crunch, Pik & Croq, Cheez Dippers, Toastinette, Apéricube, Cheez & Fun, PartyCubes, Mini Cubes, and Belcube. These names and recipes are adapted for regional tastes and retail conventions. The Laughing Cow has been marketed particularly strongly as a convenient family and children's snack in the United Kingdom and Canada, while in the United States it has been positioned as an accessible snack cheese rather than primarily as a traditional French cheese. The brand is sold under localized names across Europe, the Americas, North Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. Its international recognition rests on the combination of a simple portion format, long-established mascot, portability, and extensive local adaptation. Bel also established Kiri as a separate cheese brand in 1966; Kiri is not the same brand as The Laughing Cow.
History
The Laughing Cow originated within the Bel cheese business in France. Léon Bel registered the La Vache Qui Rit trademark on April 16, 1921, creating the basis for a brand that would become one of the company's most internationally recognizable products. The name refers directly to the laughing cow mascot and, by extension, to the brand's signature spreadable cheese portions. The visual identity has roots in the First World War. Illustrator Benjamin Rabier created a cow mascot for Bel's supply-train unit. The initial drawing was associated with the name La Wachkyrie, a humorous reference to the Valkyrie. Rabier later modified the character into a more recognizable smiling cow. Over subsequent decades, the mascot became red and white and was commonly shown wearing ear tags shaped like the brand's round cheese boxes. This design uses a recursive or Droste-like effect, with the cow appearing to carry images of itself. The product format supported the brand's growth. The archetypal cheese is a pasteurized blend of cream, milk, and fresh and aged cheeses, including comté. It is portioned into wedges, wrapped in foil, and placed in a flat circular box. A red pull-thread helps open the box, while a red tab on each foil wrapper assists with opening individual portions. Pasteurization contributes to a smooth texture and allows the product to tolerate limited periods outside refrigeration, though it remains a dairy product requiring appropriate storage. Packaging and identity were refined over time. Blue-and-white stripes were added around the box in 1955. From 1976, both ear-tag boxes were shown from the top, reinforcing the now-familiar visual construction. The durable mascot and distinctive package helped the product travel across borders even when its name, language, flavors, and formats were localized. The portfolio expanded from wedges into tubs, jars, slices, harder blocks, children's portions, snack kits, and small cubes for aperitifs. Snack formats have appeared under different regional names, including Dip & Crunch in the Americas and the United Kingdom, Pik & Croq in mainland Europe, and Cheez Dippers in several other markets. Cheese cubes have been marketed as Apéricube, PartyCubes, Mini Cubes, Belcube, and other localized names. Some earlier formats, such as squeeze bottles, Big Cheez Dipper, Cheez Double Dippers, and certain children's pods, were discontinued according to market-specific product histories. The brand became particularly associated with children's snacks in the United Kingdom and Canada. It also developed a broad presence in English-speaking countries, continental Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. Localized names include La Vache qui rit, La Vaca que Ríe, A Vaca que Ri, Die Lachende Kuh, and other translations or transliterations. In the United States, the brand used the 2009 slogan “Have you laughed today?” and expanded recipe-oriented digital communication in 2010. The Laughing Cow remains a Bel Group brand. Its history is separate from Kiri, another Bel brand created in 1966. Together with other Bel products such as Babybel, it forms part of the group's international portfolio of portioned and snack-oriented cheeses.
- 2023
National French bi-format outdoor campaign
[11]A JCDecaux campaign deployed humorous, contextual visuals across France from 17 to 23 May, using the red cow and other strong brand codes to improve recognition and attribution.
- 2021
Centenary activations
[6]The brand marked its hundredth anniversary with the “Un pur moment de Fondant” phygital campaign and the #1Rire1Don TikTok charity challenge.
- 2021
Centenary-period digital and retail activation
[6]The “Un pur moment de Fondant” program connected television, on-pack activity, social media and geographically targeted retail communication in a phygital drive-to-store campaign.
- 2021
#1Rire1Don charity challenge
[19]A TikTok branded hashtag challenge used laughter as the mechanism for unlocking a donation to Le Rire Médecin.
- 2020
Laughter becomes a central communication platform
[5]A broad television, digital and outdoor campaign made laughter the central emotional theme of the brand's communications.
- 2020
“Because it is better to laugh” campaign
[5]A broad campaign across television, digital and outdoor media made laughter the central contemporary expression of the brand’s identity.
- 2010
Recipe-focused website update
[1]The U.S. website was updated with recipes and snack-related information.
- 2009
United States “Have you laughed today?” campaign
[1]A U.S. television advertisement introduced a slogan built around the cow's cheerful character.
- 2008
“Laughing Cow” digital campaign in Canada
[18]Lowe created a Canadian digital campaign built around the brand's association between laughter and positive everyday experience.
- 1998
“Mirror” campaign in Portugal
[17]TBWA Lisbon produced a television advertising film for the Portuguese market.
Products and positioning
Mass-market, convenient family and children's snack cheese with strong visual branding and broad international localization. Accessible, family-oriented and internationally recognizable processed cheese focused on convenience, portioned serving, playful branding and everyday snacking. Accessible, family-oriented and convenient processed cheese with strong French heritage, distinctive packaging, broad international recognition, and an emphasis on individually portioned consumption.
Processed cheese · 1921
Original Creamy Cheese Wedges
The signature product consists of individually wrapped, spreadable cheese wedges arranged in a round box. The cheese is a pasteurized blend of cream, milk, and fresh and aged cheeses. Original wedges are the central expression of the brand and are sold in many markets, alongside light, ultra-light, and flavored variants. Market-specific varieties extend the wedge format with flavors such as garlic, ham, gruyère, paprika, mushroom, chèvre, blue cheese, hazelnut, pizza, jalapeño, and onion. Availability varies by country, and the range includes reduced-fat versions in some markets. The brand's core offering is creamy processed cheese divided into individually wrapped triangular portions and sold in a round package. The wedges are designed for direct snacking, spreading on bread or crackers, and simple everyday food occasions.
Cheese snack
The Laughing Cow Dip & Crunch
A snack format pairing cheese spread with breadsticks. It is known as Dip & Crunch in the Americas and the United Kingdom, Pik & Croq in mainland Europe, and Cheez Dippers in several other markets. Documented varieties include original, light, hazelnut, and pizza.
Processed cheese slices
Toastinette
Toastinette is a sliced processed-cheese line designed for melting or use in sandwiches and toast-based meals. It extends the brand beyond individual wedges into a format associated with home cooking and prepared snacks.
Party and aperitif cheese
Apéricube and related cheese cubes
Small bite-sized cheese cubes are sold for aperitifs and entertaining. Depending on the market, the line may be called Apéricube, Cheez & Fun, PartyCubes, Mini Cubes, Belcube, or another localized name. Flavors and themed assortments include options such as blue cheese, ham, salmon, chili pepper, olive, Tex-Mex, and Indian-inspired selections.
Spreadable cheese
Spreadable Tubs, Jars, and Children's Portions
The brand has also been offered in tubs and jars and in child-oriented pod formats intended to be eaten with a spoon. Some historical pod and squeeze-bottle variants have been discontinued, and exact availability depends on the market.
Processed cheese portions · 1921
Original La Vache qui rit portions
The signature product consists of individually wrapped triangular portions of smooth processed cheese presented in the brand’s characteristic round packaging. It is designed for direct eating, spreading on bread or use in simple family cooking. Exact ingredients, pack sizes and nutritional specifications vary by market. The brand's signature product consists of individually wrapped portions of processed cheese, traditionally sold in a round package containing multiple portions. The portions are designed for direct eating, spreading on bread or crackers, lunch-box use, and simple cooking. Pack sizes and precise formulations vary by country. The signature product consists of small individually wrapped portions of soft processed cheese. It is designed to be spread on bread or crackers and eaten without additional preparation. Packaging and portion counts vary by market, but the product is consistently associated with the original red-and-white brand presentation and the laughing-cow mascot.
Processed cheese slices
La vache qui rit cheese slices
Sliced formats extend the brand’s mild, meltable processed-cheese proposition to sandwiches, burgers and quick meals. They retain the visual identity of La vache qui rit while offering a format suited to cooking and portion-controlled serving. The brand’s core product line consists of processed cheese sold in individual portions, including triangular portions. It emphasizes convenience, portability, and easy sharing for household consumption. The smiling cow character is commonly retained across localized versions of the brand. Spreadable formats extend the brand's core proposition into tubs, pouches, or other convenient packages where available. They are intended for bread, toast, crackers, sandwiches, and family snacks. Availability and product specifications differ among national markets.
Flavored processed cheese and snacks
Flavored and snack-format products
Bel has offered market-specific variants including flavored portions and convenient snack or tube formats. Examples cited in brand and market materials include garlic-flavored products, but availability is not uniform worldwide.
Processed cheese · 1921
Original processed cheese portions
The core Vache qui rit product consists of smooth processed cheese portions individually wrapped and packed in a round box. The portions are designed for direct spreading, snacking or use in simple meals and recipes. Packaging, serving size and recipe composition vary by market, but the original format remains the principal expression of the brand.
Reduced-fat processed cheese
Light and reduced-fat variants
Reduced-fat versions adapt the familiar portion format for consumers seeking a lower-fat option while retaining the brand’s creamy, spreadable positioning. Availability and nutritional specifications differ by country, so the variant is not a single globally uniform formula. Light or reduced-fat versions adapt the established portion format for consumers seeking a lower-fat alternative within the brand. These variants are market-specific and may use different nutritional claims, recipes, and packaging depending on local rules. Selected markets offer reduced-fat versions intended for consumers seeking the familiar portioned format with a lower fat content than the standard product. These variants retain the brand’s spreadable texture and recognizable packaging while using market-specific nutritional labeling.
Cheese slices
Toastinette Original
Toastinette Original is a slice-oriented product associated with hot sandwiches, toast and everyday cooking. It extends the Vache qui rit identity beyond individually wrapped wedges into a format intended to melt or layer conveniently in family meals.
Cooking cheese
La Vache qui rit À Cuisiner Nature
This culinary format is positioned as a cooking ingredient rather than only a table cheese. It is used to add creaminess and cheese flavor to dishes such as sauces, wraps and prepared meals, supporting the brand’s role in recipe-based consumption.
Cheese snacks
Cheese snacks and localized formats
In different markets, the brand has offered snack-oriented products, alternate pack sizes and locally adapted recipes. These formats preserve the recognizable cow and accessible tone while responding to regional eating occasions and retail preferences.
Reduced-fat processed cheese
Light Cheese
A lighter variant of the brand's portioned cheese format. Availability, recipe, naming, and nutritional positioning can differ by market, so this entry describes the product family rather than one globally standardized formulation.
Flavored processed cheese
Flavored Cheese Wedges
Selected markets offer flavored versions that extend the original creamy wedge format. Specific flavors and pack configurations are market-dependent and are not established by the supplied reference.
Cheese snack
Cheese Dippers
A snack-oriented product format associated with The Laughing Cow. It is intended for convenient consumption and reflects the brand's broader emphasis on portable, playful cheese snacks.
Flavored processed cheese
Flavored cheese variants
Flavored variants add ingredients or seasonings to the basic processed-cheese proposition. Examples and availability vary by country, and the range has been used to address local taste preferences and provide additional family or snack occasions.
Processed cheese portions
The Laughing Cow Original
The English-language market version of the core brand product. It offers individually wrapped wedges or portions of mild, spreadable processed cheese, generally positioned for family meals, lunchboxes, snacks and casual entertaining. Exact ingredients, nutrition claims and package sizes depend on the market.
Flavored cheese and snack products
Flavored and snack variants
The brand has also appeared in flavored and snack-oriented formats, including products developed for particular national markets. Such extensions can include different cheese flavors, serving combinations or packaging formats, but availability is not uniform across the international portfolio.
Marketing campaigns
- 2023Vachement bien attribuée
France
Spark and JCDecaux developed five humorous, context-specific executions for a national bi-format outdoor campaign. From 17 to 23 May, the work used the red cow, red color and other distinctive brand codes across high-traffic locations and places associated with younger audiences and everyday life. JCDecaux reported strong attribution, recognition and approval performance, along with 3,578 targeted advertising faces, 37,186,718 reported opportunities to see and 974 GRP. The source’s contact figure is reproduced cautiously because its displayed formatting is ambiguous.
Outcome. JCDecaux reported strong attribution, recognition and approval performance, along with 3,578 targeted advertising faces, 37,186,718 reported opportunities to see and 974 GRP. The source’s contact figure is reproduced cautiously because its displayed formatting is ambiguous.
- 2022100% natural ingredients outdoor campaign
Egypt
Bel Group Egypt used Cairo outdoor advertising to renew a cheerful campaign featuring the red cow and a message about 100% natural ingredients. It reinforced brand awareness and the association between the product, happiness and laughter in Cairo.
Outcome. Reinforced brand awareness and the association between the product, happiness and laughter in Cairo.
- 2021Un pur moment de Fondant
France
A phygital centenary program joined television advertising, an on-pack portion separator, Facebook and the Ribambel platform with geographically targeted retail activation. The campaign reported more than 22 million impressions and one million Facebook interactions at its midpoint, with two-digit growth in conversions reported by the campaign case study. A phygital campaign combined television, packaging, Facebook, the Ribambel platform and geographically targeted digital media. On-pack and online activity were designed to connect brand awareness with retail visits and purchase occasions during the brand’s centenary period. The campaign was reported by its marketing case study as producing double-digit growth in conversions, although no independently audited financial figures were provided.
Outcome. The campaign reported more than 22 million impressions and one million Facebook interactions at its midpoint, with two-digit growth in conversions reported by the campaign case study. The campaign was reported by its marketing case study as producing double-digit growth in conversions, although no independently audited financial figures were provided.
- 2021#1Rire1Don
France · TikTok
Users were invited to fill a laughter gauge through a TikTok branded hashtag challenge. The activation was created with Spark Foundry and TikTok for the brand's hundredth anniversary. The completed challenge triggered a donation to Le Rire Médecin. Created with Spark Foundry and TikTok, the branded hashtag challenge invited users to laugh and help fill a digital gauge. Once the activation target was reached and shared, the campaign generated a donation for Le Rire Médecin, an organization bringing clowns to children in hospitals. The initiative linked the brand’s laughter platform with a charitable cause; the cited announcement does not establish a donation amount or independently verified reach.
Outcome. The completed challenge triggered a donation to Le Rire Médecin. The initiative linked the brand’s laughter platform with a charitable cause; the cited announcement does not establish a donation amount or independently verified reach.
- 2020The Smile / laughter-centered brand campaign
France · International
A television, digital and outdoor campaign used laughter as a response to social tension and linked it with wellbeing, food and social connection. The brand worked with sociologist Thibaud de Saint Pol and nutrition physician Patrick Serog in developing the supporting narrative.
Outcome. Positioned laughter as the brand’s principal emotional territory ahead of the centenary.
- 2020Parce que c’est meilleur de rire
France · International
The campaign repositioned laughter as a practical, positive part of everyday life and returned the brand to an emotional territory closely associated with its mascot. Television, digital and outdoor executions were supported by discussion of research into laughter, social connection and well-being. The stated objective was to rebuild an emotional relationship with consumers and give the mature brand a clearer contemporary role.
Outcome. The stated objective was to rebuild an emotional relationship with consumers and give the mature brand a clearer contemporary role.
- 2010Recipe and snack website content
United States
The U.S. brand website was updated with cheese recipes and snack information, supporting usage occasions beyond eating the wedges directly from the package.
Outcome. The update expanded the brand's digital and recipe-oriented consumer communication.
- 2009Have you laughed today?
United States
A television commercial introduced a slogan that used the mascot's laughter and positive personality to frame the cheese as a cheerful snack.
Outcome. The slogan became a documented part of the brand's U.S. advertising history.
- 2008Laughing Cow digital campaign in Canada
Lowe created a Canadian digital campaign built around the brand's association between laughter and positive everyday experience.
- 1998Mirror
Portugal
TBWA Lisbon created a television film for La vache qui rit in Portugal.
Outcome. Served as a market-specific brand advertising execution.
Brand decisions
2021
Combine heritage packaging with digital and retail activationStrategyBackground
The centenary presented an opportunity to modernize the brand while retaining its familiar mascot and portion format.
Action taken
Bel connected television, packaging, social media, geographic targeting and retail activity in the Un pur moment de Fondant program.
Aftermath
The campaign case study reported strong interaction and conversion performance at its midpoint.
2021
Expanded digital, retail and charitable activation during the centenary periodStrategyBackground
The brand sought to modernize its communication without abandoning its packaging, mascot and accessible product proposition.
Action taken
Bel and its agencies combined on-pack mechanics, social media, geolocation, TikTok participation and a donation mechanism linked to laughter.
Aftermath
The program demonstrated a broader role for the brand across commerce, entertainment and social participation, but the available sources do not establish a quantified long-term commercial outcome.
2020
Recentered brand strategy on laughter and emotional connectionStrategyBackground
Brand research cited by the campaign coverage described consumers as feeling that laughter had declined in everyday life, while many respondents associated laughter with easier living and positive well-being.
Action taken
The brand made laughter the organizing idea for a multi-channel campaign and connected it with food, social ties and the brand’s historic mascot.
Aftermath
The campaign provided a renewed platform for subsequent digital, charitable and outdoor communications. No standalone sales effect was disclosed in the cited material.
2016
Bel pursued acquisition of Groupe MOMM&ABackground
Bel’s portfolio was strongly associated with portion cheese, while Groupe MOM specialized in portable fruit and dessert products including Pom’Potes. The proposed combination reflected an ambition to expand consumption occasions around children’s snacks and on-the-go food.
Action taken
Bel announced its intention to acquire Groupe MOM from its then-owner LBO France.
Aftermath
The move broadened the parent group’s strategic scope beyond cheese. The cited report does not provide a transaction price or complete subsequent ownership chronology.
2009
Adopt the “Have you laughed today?” slogan in the United StatesStrategyBackground
U.S. advertising sought to connect the product with the mascot's humorous and upbeat character.
Action taken
The U.S. business used the slogan in a television commercial.
Aftermath
The slogan became associated with the brand's U.S. communications during that period.
1955
Strengthen package recognition with blue-and-white stripingStrategyBackground
The round cheese box was already central to the brand's identity and received an additional blue-and-white striped treatment.
Action taken
Blue-and-white stripes were incorporated around the package.
Aftermath
The striping became part of the long-running visual identity associated with the brand.
1921
Launch an individually portioned processed cheeseProduct launchBackground
Léon Bel operated in a market moving from local and artisanal cheese toward standardized, transportable packaged food. Bel sought to commercialize a convenient branded cheese product rather than relying only on traditional larger-format cheese sales.
Action taken
The business introduced a processed cheese in sealed round packaging and registered the La vache qui rit trademark. The company introduced La Vache qui rit in individually wrapped portions and supported it with a distinctive mascot and package design.
Aftermath
The format became the foundation of a durable international brand and a model of convenient family cheese consumption. The product became the foundation of one of Bel Group’s enduring international brands.
Recent events
- Unconfirmed
Reported
The Laughing Cow refreshes cheese wedge branding[21]
Bel Brands USA is introducing new logos and branding for The Laughing Cow cheese wedges alongside an updated formula.
- Unconfirmed
Reported
The Laughing Cow updates cheese wedges with a reformulated formula[21]
Bel Brands USA is updating the formula of The Laughing Cow cheese wedges, including increased calcium content and new flavors.
Sources21 sources
- 1The Laughing Cowen.wikipedia.org
- 2Wikipedia: La vache qui ritfr.wikipedia.org
- 3History of La vache qui ritlamaisondelavachequirit.com
- 4Say Cheese: The History of La Vache Qui Ritfrancetoday.com
- 5La vache qui rit launches a new brand campaign centered on smilese-marketing.fr
- 6Un pur moment de Fondant campaign case studyhubinstitute.com
- 7Publicis Groupe: #1Rire1Don TikTok challengefrance.publicisgroupe.com
- 8Cairo outdoor campaigninsiteooh.com
- 9The Laughing Cow official brand websitethelaughingcow.com
- 10Bel Group: The Laughing Cow brandgroupe-bel.com
- 11JCDecaux: Vache qui rit outdoor campaignjcdecaux.fr
- 12Bel acquisition of Groupe MOM reported by Challengeschallenges.fr
- 13La Vache qui riten.wikipedia.org
- 14Bel Group brandsgroupe-bel.com
- 15Bel Group corporate websitegroupe-bel.com
- 16The Laughing Cow official brand websitelavachequirit.com
- 17“Mirror” campaign in Portugaladsspot.me
- 18“Laughing Cow” digital campaign in Canadaadsoftheworld.com
- 19#1Rire1Don charity challengefrance.publicisgroupe.com
- 20Mirroradsspot.me
- 21The Laughing Cow 更新奶酪三角品牌形象dairyreporter.com
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